


Don’t Miss Another Moment

by Joshanddonna



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Engagement, F/M, Wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-02 08:19:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19437544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joshanddonna/pseuds/Joshanddonna
Summary: An engagement and a wedding.





	Don’t Miss Another Moment

People in Washington would label Josh Lyman as an impulsive man. He often spoke before he thought. He had vicious and incomparable political instinct and he wasn’t afraid to use it. He was quick, scrappy, and unapologetic. What people in Washington didn’t know was that when it came to relationships, Josh Lyman had never been impulsive. He thought to much, he second guessed himself, and he struggled to make a commitment. If you asked Josh why, he would have told you it was because he didn’t want a commitment, he didn’t have time. If you asked his close personal friends, they would tell you it’s because he was waiting for the right time to commit to the right person. That person was Donna. 

Josh scrambled with Donna for a few weeks. He was finally faced with the possibility that everything he ever wanted would come true, but with that also came the possibility that it might not. The thought terrified him. He didn’t know what to do or how to tell her what he really felt. He waited years for this, it had to be right. He tried to play it cool, although Josh’s “playing it cool” came off as anything but cool. He didn’t want to give away too much and scare her away. When Lou confronted him with the fact that he had no personal life, he suddenly realized how oblivious he had been. This was Donna. She was giving him a very explicit chance to show her he was all in, and she had to take it. Donna was his life, she had always been. 

————-

Donna was speaking with the first lady about policy priorities when Josh called her to ask a huge question. 

“Hello?”  
“Hey.”   
“What’s up? I’m a little busy with Helen right now..”   
“I need you to leave work.”   
“What?!”   
“Let me start over. Remember how you have always begged me to take you to Hawaii? I have uh... a plane ticket for you. For me too. For us.”   
He was rambling and his voice was way higher than usual. He felt his hands start to sweat.   
Donna glanced at Helen, who at this point was giving her a huge, knowing smile. Donna quickly deduced that she was in on the whole thing. Josh really knew how to pull strings.   
Donna tried to act casual to avoid acting like a schoolgirl in front of the first lady.   
“That sounds... nice.”   
“Great. Be at my place by 3.”  
“Okay.”   
Josh couldn’t see her, but he could tell by the sound of her voice that she was smiling that signature Donna smile. The same one she had when he told her many years ago that they were going to a ball. 

————

Many years ago, Josh’s mother gave him his grandmother’s ring. It was clear that it was her subtle way of pressuring Josh to settle down, but at the time he had no interest. It sat in the back of his closet collecting dust until the day he decided to ask Donna to go away with him. Josh knew it was crazy, but he had missed too many moments with Donna. He didn’t want to miss any more. He didn’t even think about it. He packed it as if it was as natural as packing shirts or a toothbrush. 

The ring sat in his pocket on the plane, at dinners, while they walked on the beach. He was waiting for the right time. It was nearing the end of the trip, and Josh was starting to fear he would never find the right moment. Until, on their second to last night, it seemed as though the Gods conspired to give them the perfect time. They were walking on the beach at sunset, uninhibited by White House work, political appearances, or strategizing. It felt like they were the only two people on the planet. Their conversation somehow roamed into the territory of marriage, and Josh could tell Donna was trying to gage his position without outright asking. She was facing the sunset, avoiding eye contact with Josh. 

“Do you think... I don’t know... that marriage is in the cards for you?” She asked, trying and failing to be casual. 

She glanced over, expecting to find a nervous, terrified Josh. Instead she saw the love of her life on one knee, somehow not nervous or terrified.   
“Donna.”   
“Josh? Is this a joke? I’ll kill you.”   
“No Donna, it’s not a joke.” He laughed.   
“I have let too much time in my life pass by without telling you exactly how I feel. I want to spend my life with you. When I think about my future I see you. It has always, always been you Donna. Will you marry me?”   
“Yes Josh, I will marry you!” She exclaimed through a waterfall of tears.   
“I love you, Donna.” He whispered into her ear as they held each other.”   
“I love you too, Josh.”

—-

While Josh got ready for his big day, his groomsmen watched as he quietly reflected on his thoughts about marriage, commitment, and his future with Donna. Josh had always heard that guys freaked out on their wedding day. About the commitment, about feeling trapped. He had always expected to feel that day. When his day finally came, he felt none of that. In fact, Donna was the only person who ever made him feel free. Donna saw Josh in a way that nobody ever had. She saw him and loved him at his worst, cheered him on at his best, and was by his side for everything in between. Donna saw Josh for everything that he was, not just what people saw. 

Josh had been drifting off in quiet thought for a while now, and his best man was starting to get worried.   
“Hey Josh, everything okay? Are you getting nervous?”   
“Honestly? Not at all.”   
——

A newly pregnant CJ sobbed as she watched Donna get the final touches done on her wedding hairdo. “It’s just so beautiful. I watched you idiots try to get it together for years. I’m just so happy.” Donna laughed at her hormonal maid of honor, as if she too had not cried for the same reason several times that day. It warmed her heart to know that she had so much support this whole time and she didn’t even know it. In the weeks leading up to the wedding, both CJ and Abbey had confessed to her that they had been rooting for her and Josh all along. Donna had always just assumed that people saw her and Josh and judged them for their inappropriate dynamic. It was nice to know that they were hoping for the same happy ending that she was. 

In a way, deep down, Donna always knew this day would come. Early on, she know Josh was it for her. She knew that Josh loved her and he showed it in all the ways he possibly could have. Donna came to accept that it would be complicated for a long time, and that the end result would be worth the wait. When she left to work for Russell, she knew deep down in her heart that they would find their way back to each other. She was happy to have proved herself right. She smiled to herself in the mirror with a sense of peace, and with the feeling that everything was finally right in her life. 

“You look beautiful, Donna.” CJ told her.  
“Thank you CJ.” She embraced her best friend tightly.   
“Getting cold feet at all?” Lou asked bluntly.   
“Not one bit.” 

——-  
Josh rarely cried. It took a lot for Josh to get that emotional. He cried when terrible things happened, like when his father or Leo died, or when Donna was hurt. He had never cried out of sheer joy, until his wedding day, when he watched the love of his life walk down the aisle. The emotion of seeing the woman who would soon be his wife completely overpowered his strong instinct not to cry in public. When Donna saw Josh cry, she couldn’t help but immediately lose it herself. When she finally reached him after her long walk down the aisle, she squeezed his hands and joked “you’re ruining my makeup!”.   
“You look beautiful.” He said. 

Josh had struggled to write his vows in the weeks and days leading up to the wedding. It was hard for him to put such intense, indescribable feelings into words. Despite the fact that he managed to finish them the night before the wedding, they didn’t leave his pocket. Standing there, looking at Donna, he didn’t need a piece of paper. 

“Donna, there were so many times I should have told you all the reasons I love you. I let so many moments pass us by. So now that we’re here, I want to tell you that I love you because you’re brave, you’re exceptionally intelligent, you challenge me, you make me a better man. You make me feel complete. I never understood the meaning of having an ‘other half’ until I knew you. You are my everything, and I didn’t tell you soon enough, but I will spend the rest of my life showing you.” 

Sam, always a helper, handed tissues to both Josh and Donna, who were blubbering messes. If Josh could see anyone else but Donna, he could see that their guests were also reduced to tears. Donna just barely pulled herself together to say her vows. Donna of course did not need her vows written either, she had recited them in her head for many years. 

“For a long time, I struggled to find where I belonged. I had a bunch of majors, I dated guys who made me crazy. When I met you, it felt like home. Everything fell into place. Our banter, our minds, even our walks fell in sync together. Ever since that day, you have been the only person in my life who makes me feel truly safe. You put me first without hesitation. Your endless devotion to the people you love is my favorite thing about you. You have always loved so fiercely, and I promise to love you that way every single day. Forever.”

After they both said I do, and kissed each other like it was the very first time, Donna Moss and Josh Lyman took off for their second vacation, this time as husband and wife.


End file.
